DIY: Custom Flight Cases

Simple Modifications For Simple Setup/Teardown

Hey all – I’ve received a number of inquiries about the modification I did to my turntable flight cases, so here’s a thread outlining what was done.

It was a real simple mod that has many advantages:
• Cables aren’t wound up and kinked inside case were they can be damaged due to stress
• Power plug and RCA connectors aren’t inside cases where they can move around and scratch TT’s finish during transport
• External cables can be quickly swapped out in case one got damaged
• Since factory cables no longer drape over edge of case, lids can be quickly clamped on/off at a gig should area be needed during another DJs set (ie: CD decks)
• All cable lengths minimized
• Ground cables eliminated
• Decreased setup time
• Improved aesthetics

Before I did this mod, I upgraded the factory Technics RCA cables to high-grade cables, shortened length, and used high-grade female terminations instead of male. I chose female so that if I ever found myself in a situation where I had to use the TTs out of their cases or if the custom external cables couldn’t be used, I would be able to simply plug on a set of standard RCA cables any length needed and run to a mixer. I also eliminated the pesky external ground wires by grounding them inside the TTs.

Power receptacle: Switchcraft EAC309
XLR receptacle: Switchcraft C3M

Inside the case, underneath the TTs, the power and XLR receptacles are each wired with short pigtails that plug into the TTs’ cables via appropriate M/F terminations. This way TTs can quickly and easily be unplugged and removed from cases if ever required.

Lastly, I made a set of custom XLR to RCA cables that are just the right length for plugging into either my mixer or DVS interface.

Hope this helps for all who may be interested.